| Gloria is an out-of-work party girl forced to leave her life in NY and move back home. When reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, she gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this phenomenon.

“Colossal” is an original and fun, but ultimately a flawed movie. The premise that Vigalondo gives us is gleefully fresh and loaded with potential. It even features subtle messages about addiction and toxic relationships. The movie’s ultimate problem is the story’s strange and remarkable occurrences that are thinly and illogically developed. But I absolutely love how singular Nacho’s voice is. Each of his movies is creative and unique and feel “new” in ways that most movies don’t. And that’s even more impressive considering how often his movies are genre flicks, playing with familiar tropes of said genres.

The Spanish filmmaker is perhaps best known for 2007’s time-travelling mindbender “Los Cronocrímenes” (which I recommend to see), his new movie Colossal never quite goes where you expect it to – starts off as a metaphor for self-destructive behaviour, but gradually transforms into an allegory for toxic masculinity – and thus feels somewhat thematically incoherent. The concept is so ingenious, so imaginatively air-tight, that director Nacho Vigalondo is able to play around with his subtext without losing much, if any, of his conceptual creativity. It’s not entirely lucid, but it is fascinating.

While I love Hathaway – and she presents a good performance – it’s Sudeikis that really stole the show for me. The overt comedy is toned down a bit from his other traditional roles, opening up the opportunity to stretch his acting chops (which is a welcome sight). I only wish we could have seen a more gradual development of his character, instead of an almost overnight evolution. Hathaway’s performance exhibited a more gradual shift in character as she realizes the impact her destructive partying behavior has on those she cares about.

The movie takes a while to find its footing. The first 20 minutes or so is just one long introduction of Hathaway’s character that seemed far too drawn out. There is a side character that is basically just a fly on the wall and makes zero impact to the story as a whole. They are put in situations where any rational human being would do, or at the very least say, something to help, but it’s like they aren’t even present. There were two major moments in the film that were almost illogical due to their inaction.

Overall, stories like this deserve an audience. We clamor for originality at the theater, but when we’re offered a title that isn’t a popular IP or doesn’t include a cinematic universe, the empty seats speak far louder. This isn’t a perfect film, but it’s definitely worth your time. Is it a little on the nose that it’s a story about an alcoholic destroying the world around her? Sure. But it’s all in the execution.